Posted by The euphoria of a Spice Girls reunion tour and featuring in LGBTQ+ collective Sink The Pink’s string of global pride events has emboldened Melanie C to make a dance record adapted to the current pop landscape. Her self-titled eighth album has been introduced with a string of defiant singles that seek to balance resilience with the vulnerabilities of a decades-long existence in the public eye, struck best in disco-ready ‘In And Out Of Love’.
Several forays with longtime Spice Girls collaborator Biff Stannard are paired with a palpable presence of younger artists, including a standout feature from growing gem of grime Nadia Rose on ‘Fearless’ and a writing credit from Shura on ‘Good Enough’, which pushes through some left-field, almost Chromatica-esque experimentation.
We’d be looking at an even better record had it allowed the space required for her often unrecognised jaw-on-the-floor vocals, but as a whole Melanie C has drawn from a whirlwind year to make a jubilant album that understands where she is right now.
6/10
Words: Shannon McDonagh
Dig It? Dig Deeper! Sink The Pink, Shura, Lady Gaga
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